Tag Archives: big green egg grill

Beef Brisket on the Big Green Egg

16 Friday Jun 2017

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I have made several Briskets since I first wrote about it in my 2014 Brisket on the Big Green Egg post.  I have come a long way since then.  I just re-read the post and cringed, thinking of the mistakes I made then versus now.  One thing is still true and is of the utmost importance- constant temperature control.  I used to go with 250, that has changed.  225 is the average I shoot for now.  210-235 is the limit for me.  It seems to take about 12 hours for a medium sized slab of brisket.  I cook till 195 internal temperature and do nothing fancy with foils, baths or flipping.  I simply rub the meat with yellow mustard and cover in dry rub.  Fat side down seems to work best as it protects the meat.  That’s all there is to it.  The dry rubs I have tried and mixed at home are all very good, so I bought a whole bunch of new ones to try out, today we are going with the Butt Rub.

One thing that still freaks me out is “The Stall’.  I usually get the charcoal started early in the morning, say 6:30 am and have the meat on the rack by 7.  The internal temps rise rapidly to about 155 or so, which always makes me wonder if dinner is going to be ready by 11 am!  Well, the meat stalls at that temperature for a few hours.  The basic physics of this phenomenon is Evaporative Cooling, otherwise known as Sweating.  Once it stalls, the meat stays at that  temperature for what seems an eternity, perhaps  4 hours or longer.  Past the stall, it continues to cook and the internals get to between 195-203 before I pull the meat, tent it in foil for at least 10 minutes and then slice it across the grain in thin strips.

The dreaded STALL

Lately I have not even been using BBQ sauce, the meat is so tender, smoky and flavorful that it is best served up in a simple manner.  Tonight we are going with a salad, some Seasoned Field Peas with Snaps and perhaps a cold beer or two….

Spring cleaning the garage

The Dry Rub shipment just arrived!

Leg of Lamb on the Big Green Egg revisited

27 Saturday Dec 2014

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This is the second attempt at cooking a Leg of Lamb on the BGE.  My first try was a moderate success, this one was an absolute success.  I had a slightly larger leg this time so I adjusted the temperature and cooking times to reflect this.  I also bought an electronic temperature monitor recently that has greatly improved my cooking.  This time I made a wet rub that I marinated the meat in all day.  Searing was by reverse method at the end and resulted in perfect crisp edges.  The key is to slit a criss cross pattern in the meat so the marinade gets the most surface area and then the edges get charred in the end.  The meat was 140 F internal temperature when I started to sear.  The results were medium cooked, slightly pink morsels of really juicy meat with crispy edges intermixed.  I served Cabernet Sauvignon, some steamed green beans and a side salad with gorgonzola and aged balsamic dressing.

  1. Leg of Lamb, 5-6 pounds bone in
  2. 10 or more Garlic cloves
  3. 1 Tablespoon Sage
  4. 1 Tablespoon Thyme
  5. 1 Teaspoon Parsley
  6. 1/4 cup olive oil
  7. 1/4 cup lemon juice
  8. 1 Teaspoon Salt
  9. 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper

The units are not exact, nor do you have to use dried herbs, fresh would actually be better.  Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until you have a smooth paste.  Adjust the Olive oil and Lemon juice to achieve a thick consistency so it can stick to the meat.  Rinse and pat dry the leg of Lamb and cut slits in the meat in a criss cross pattern, about 1/4 inch deep.  Cover the meat in the rub and let sit all day.  I left it in a cool oven, out of the way which allowed the meat to reach room temperature before cooking.  I set the BGE up for an indirect heat and placed a tray of water on top of the setter to catch drippings and provide extra moisture.  I only put three chunks of hardwood for a minimal smoke addition.  Temperature was regulated at around 275F.  My remote temperature probes were inserted and the meat was laid on the grill for about 2 hours, I flipped it over half way.  When internal was 140 I removed the meat, removed the setter and opened the vents.  When the BGE registered 650F I placed the leg back on the grate and reverse seared each side for about 2-3 minutes until there were some nice charred edges.  Tenting the meat for 15 minutes allowed it to stabilize and then I carved it up into bite sized pieces.  Yum…

Criss cross slitting of the Lamb

Criss cross slitting of the Lamb

The herbs and oil mixture

The herbs and oil mixture

Marinating all day

Marinating all day

The finished Leg!

The finished Leg!

Tabil spiced Leg of Lamb on the Big Green Egg

11 Friday Jul 2014

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I couldn’t help myself.  I need to explore every recipe I can muster to grill meats on the Big Green Egg (BGE).  This time I marinated a butterflied leg of lamb overnight in Greek yoghurt, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and Tunisian Tabil spices.  I cooked it on a high heat using the direct cooking method.  I had no choice as the skies had opened up and delayed dinner so much that the kids were about to revolt if I had taken even a minute longer than absolutely necessary.  It only took about 20 minutes to grill it so I could carve off the outer sections.  The middle was still rare so it got another dose of the charcoal the next day to ‘heat it up’.

4-5 lb leg of lamb, butterflied

Half a head of garlic, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons Olive oil

2 tablespoons Lemon juice

salt and pepper

4 cups plain yoghurt, I used Greek as it is thicker and tastier

Tabil spices: 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, 1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes.

I ground the spices together in a coffee grinder.  Mix all the ingredients together and marinate the lamb overnight.  I set the BGE for direct heat and let it rip once the coals were hot.  I choked down after the initial sear and maintained about 400F dome temperature to allow the middle to cook.  20 minutes total for rare inside, probably another 10 minutes for medium.  It was absolutely delicious and I highly recommend a Shiraz or big juicy Napa Cabernet to go with this spice infused beauty.  I scored the meat before marinating and served up some Tzatziki sauce on the side.

lamb on big green egg

The yoghurt drenched leg going on the coals

big green egg lamb leg

I scored the meat before marinating to give it some char

big green egg spiced lamb recipe

The ‘bits’ chopped up small and dipped in Tzatziki sauce

 

 

Chateau Musar 1997

16 Monday Jun 2014

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It’s Father’s Day and I decided to go all out with Filet Mignon, steamed Artichokes and a bottle of 1997 Musar.  I recently drank a bottle of the 1999 Musar in Hong Kong, where it brought back great memories of this awesome winery.  I visited them in 2007 and still have four Magnums of various vintages that I brought back.  Diet be damned, I mixed up some tarragon mayonnaise, melted butter and got totally stuck in to some amazing steaks that just came out of my Big Green Egg.

When I tried to open it the cork crumbled.  I had a moment of panic until I managed to coax out the other half.  I was not sure of any floating bits so I ran the first glass through the filtered Vinturi to make sure all was well.  The wine was sublime, typical for the untypical style of this winery.  It showed off orange edges on a red framed body.  The nose was so amazing with perfumes of violets, funk, earth, wild berries and creosote.  I was preparing myself for the oncoming rush of flavors.

A really fresh palate of damson, blueberries, red currants, mint, sage and barnyard were the first impressions.  A crispy acidity pushed through and revealed the well integrated tannins.  Road tar was the component I kept missing all evening, it hit me in the middle of the night.  It’s funny how that could be considered a flavor or smell that would appeal to wine drinkers, yet it does- just like funk and cat’s pee in other varietals.  Speaking of varietals… This wine is a blend of Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan.  It reminds me of aged Barolo, perhaps Burgundy with a Bordeaux strain.  It is magical and alluring.

As the night progressed, so did the bottle.  Initially I was going with 94 points, but the ever present acidity was a touch too much for me and eventually came across as sour cherries. With this detractor I had to drop it to 93, still an impressive score in my opinion.  I believe I paid $36 for it back in the day making it a 5 star effort.  Salut….

Chateau Musar

musar winery

Taken in 2007 on my visit to the winery

filet mignon on big green egg

The Filet Mignons

 

Brisket on the Big Green Egg

12 Monday May 2014

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I have not written for a while as I was under the weather with a suspected stomach bug.  I managed to get back to 100% by Thursday and took on the daunting challenge of slow cooking a beef brisket.  I am still a newbie with the Big Green Egg and have only used it to cook a Chicken (disaster), Pizza (another disaster), Pork Butt (awesome), some Ribeyes that were amazing, a Leg of Lamb that was good and now the Brisket.  I have searched online and talked to numerous cooks who all warned me of the perils involved with this particularly tough piece of meat. It needs a long, slow, low heat smoking if it is to tenderize without drying out.

I started off with a 5 1/2 pound Flat Cut Brisket from Costco, it was not expensive.  I slathered it in spicy mustard and then rubbed some Original Rub all over.  The charcoal was lit and the firebox filled with moist wood chunks.  I settled the temperature at about 250F and placed the meat onto the grill with the fat cap side down.  After 5 hours I flipped the meat and inserted a thermometer into the thickest part.  Within two more hours it was ready with a 190F internal reading.  I covered it in heavy foil, wrapped it in towels and put it in a cooler for the afternoon.  When it came time for dinner I sliced it 3 mm (3/16 in) thick and it was deelish with some homemade BBQ sauce.  The cut of meat was large enough for the 5 of us plus breakfast for me in the morning.  My only mistake was to let the heat get up to 300F a few times, controlling it to 250F is paramount to avoid any dryness.  I feel empowered now to cook anything on this grill and look forward to the Turkey I have postponed.  FWIW I sipped on Single Wide IPA from Boulevard Brewing Co.  It had the right balance of hoppiness to go with the spicy/sweet tang of rub and sauce.  Heaven….

beef brisket on big green egg

The Brisket, 5 1/2 pounds

Tented in foil for 4 hours

Tented in foil for 4 hours

smoked brisket on big green egg

Sliced 3/16 in thick

boulevard brewing single wide IPA

The IPA that tied it all together!

 

Grilled Lamb on the Big Green Egg

02 Friday May 2014

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I was incorrect last week when I said that my next venture with the Big Green Egg was going to be a Turkey.  I had forgotten that I had purchased a whole leg of Lamb and it needed to be cooked soon, so I looked up some recipes, got some ideas and cracked open a killer wine to go with it.

I juiced a few lemons, added some Olive oil, salt, pepper and a concoction of herbs into a bowl.  The Oregano, Basil and Rosemary were the key players but I was adding whatever I could find in the spice rack that I figured would go with Lamb.  I then scored the meat with a deep crisscross pattern so I could slit some garlic slivers deep into the meat.  I basted the whole thing up and let it sit for a few hours, ideally this should be done in a bag and left overnight in the fridge.

The meat was cooked for nearly 2 hours on an indirect fire with smoking chips added for flavor.  I turned the Leg once and kept the dome temperature at 300F.  When the meat was registering 140F I removed the indirect heating tray, opened the vents and cranked the heat to 500F.  This allowed me to ‘reverse sear’ the meat and get some delicious blackened edges and really get the fat crispy.  I think I let it go a little too long as the meat was medium well after I tented it for 10 minutes.  It was however delicious and I would repeat the recipe without hesitation, knocking about 20 minutes from the slow cook to try for a moister, more rare finish.

Syrah/Shiraz is probably the most perfect combo to pair with Lamb, so I took the opportunity to open the Clarendon Hills Syrah ‘Liandra’ 2007 for the dinner.  It was ideal.  Salut….

Updated:  I just added another post about grilling a leg of lamb on the big green egg.  Enjoy!

big green egg lamb

The Lamb dressed up in its baste

lamb leg on big green egg

On the grill, 300F for 1:40

reverse sear big green egg

‘Reverse Searing’ the leg of lamb

The Big Green Egg Slow Cooking debut

26 Saturday Apr 2014

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In case you forgot or are new to this blog, let me refresh you on my Christmas present.  Moxie saved up $5 bills all of last year so she could purchase this mother-of-all barbecues for me without any sign of a credit card charge anywhere.  Sneaky, but it worked and I am eternally grateful that she had the foresight and financial fortitude to make it happen.

I managed to cook a Chicken on it that first night, and have since dabbled a few times until yesterday’s inaugural Pork Shoulder slow cook with heaps of billowing smoke and tons of dry rub to help flavor this creation.  I started out knowing absolutely nothing of how to use this device as a smoker.  I was burning far too little charcoal, adjusting vents all the wrong way and basically getting frustrated that I could not even make a Pizza on the damn thing.  I took a deep breath, consulted Youtube and got busy prepping for Friday’s cook.  It started the day before with a generous slathering of mustard onto the meat, which can be referred to as Boston Butt, Pork Shoulder etc.  It’s an 8 pound hunk of well marbled pig with a bone in the middle of it.  The bone is the key here folks as we will see later.  Once covered in yellow, I liberally sprinkled it with a homemade concoction of dry herbs and spices, I cannot remember the exact ingredients or the ratios but will mention that just about anything that sounded good in my spice rack is in there.  I wrapped the meat in cling film for an overnight soak and cleaned the firebox out of the grill in anticipation for the next morning.

big green egg mustard treatment

The mustard treatment

big green egg spice rub

Covered in my secret rub

big green egg large grill

Christmas Chicken inaugural cook

My alarm rang at 6:20 am, the coals were started by 6:25 and the previously soaked wood chips were drained.  By 6:40 I had the charcoal and chips in the firebox, a drip pan full of water installed and the lid down with the vents fully open.  A few minutes later the dome was registering 300F and I was ready.  The moment had come to cook the meat.  I unwrapped it and placed it with the fat cap face down onto the rack, closed the dome and adjusted the vents ever so carefully, just like they said on the Youtube.  Following RULE #1 of slow cooking- ‘There is no peeking’.  I walked away and prayed I had got it right.  Hovering over the thermometer like an expectant father I adjusted the vents 1/2 a millimeter at a time, maintaining precisely 250F for the whole morning.  I left for a while to take care of business and returned several hours later to a stable cook, I was ecstatic.  And then it happened.  Mother nature opened up and the skies came watering down.  It didn’t seem to affect the grill, but I had a sneaky suspicion something was up.  It was time to remove the Butt, place it in silver foil and bathe it in a can of Cherry Coke for the final few hours.  It looked magnificent as I pulled it out, a blackened  crackly crust and a nice juicy texture.  I double wrapped it in foil, stuck a meat thermometer in it and returned it to the dome.  I then instructed my 16 year old on what to do with the vents if the temperature varied.

Sure enough, Murphy arrived.  The rain was driving down so hard it cooled the grill down and we were at about 210F, I opened the vents and reminded my son to double check in a few minutes as I was driving son #3 to Piano.  I called him 20 minutes later and sure enough, he had closed the vents instead of opening them to add heat.  With my trusty FaceTime App running I had him show me the exact settings of the vents and we corrected the error without further ado.

I returned home and eyeballed the thermometer through the top vent, which was nearly wide open at this stage.  When the meat registered 190F it was ready.  I removed it and prayed it was cooked.  The top tip in determining this fact is whether the bone pulls out cleanly or not.  If so-Done, if not-Epic Fail.  My meat was perfect, it pulled apart easily, was moist and had a delicious crust and smoky tinge.  I brought forth the homemade Barbecue sauce and some freshly cut coleslaw for the feast and we all dug in.  Success!

big green egg bottom butt

The nearly done Butt, nicely crusted

Slow cooked Pork Butt

Finally ready at 190F within its foil tent and Coke bath

 

Big Green Egg Barbecue or BBQ sauce

Homemade BBQ sauce

Slow cooked pork shoulder done on a big green egg

The finale!

 

 

By dinner time I had already decided on, nay, opened a bottle of Los Clop Malbec. It seemed the right varietal and the right bottle to go with the smoky meat and tangy sauce. Heaven. Total cost for the Pulled Pork dinner sans vino was less than $30 including the charcoal and a month’s supply of sauce, not to mention enough food for a dozen folks. 95 points and 5 stars! Salut….

Christmas came early this year

22 Sunday Dec 2013

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It’s Sunday, December 22- the day after Christmas.  I shall explain.  My company decided to cancel my November vacation and put me on a 6 week training course.  I missed Thanksgiving, the annual Nutcracker Ballet, where I play Uncle Drosselmeier and get to perform with my 9 year old daughter and 11 year old son (he plays Fritz).   Having spent 4 weeks on the course already, I ws given a 6 day break to come home, 12,000 miles of traveling and a 13 hour time change.  I now find myself headed back to complete my training, which has me flying on Christmas day AND New Years day, bastards.

Anyway, Moxie, being the smart gal, called Christmas early.  We celebrated yesterday with presents, dinner and good wine with our family.  Christmas actually started 3 weeks ago for me, in Hong Kong.  One of my friends hosted a men’s luncheon at his house.  We started out with 4 bottles of fizzy and moved on to a Sauvignon Blanc with  the Prawn cocktail.  For the main course, I had brought along the faithful Lynch Bages 2001 and the ringer- Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon 2002.  We moved on to copious other bottles of Merlot, Cab, and god knows what before I packed it in at 9:30 pm.  We had stared at noon and managed to celebrate in grand fashion all afternoon and into the night.  Those crazy Brits, they know how to get it done.

IMG_0520Later in the month, my friend Lemming had won the annual football bet so I was obliged to pour the good stuff, a 2001 Calon Segur that he eyed in my room. ( I never travel light).  He and I have a repeat bet for the next two weeks of Fantasy, I ‘ll let you know how I did.

My makeshift hotel room cellar...

My makeshift hotel room cellar…

IMG_0522

Meanwhile at home Moxie was busy getting the kids into the spirit. She took the younger two to the annual Santa visit. She managed to decorate the house and get the whole Christmas spirit going even in my absence, making my return awesome.

JJ and The Jet

JJ and The Jet

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Moving ahead to this past Friday… I drove to the heart of Virginia to pick up son #2 from boarding school. I packed a snack of raw chestnuts for my snack. Nothing spells Christmas like roasted chestnuts, I just happen to love them raw too. The 2 1/2 hour drive allowed me to reflect on my week, my life and my family. The return trip was loud with three smelly teenage boys all talking at once. It was a good ride.

Raw chestnuts, quartered for ease of peeling

Raw chestnuts, quartered for ease of peeling

Which brings us to Saturday, our Christmas day.
Moxie had saved every $5 dollar bill for the last year and used the cash to buy me the most amazing gift, the Big Green Egg grill.  I immediately prepared the Chicken for a good old fashion slow cook with a bottle of peach wine shoved up it’s derrier and coated with salt, pepper and sage.  The wood I used was cherry for the smoke and the charcoal was original hard wood chunks, old school…  This grill is going to be fun and the learning curve steep but I am looking forward to it.  I also slow cooked a standing rib roast, which I overdid- enough said.

The evening started out with some Domaine Ste. Michel Blanc de Blancs.  A refreshingly dry and crisp sparkler that over performs every year.  Crispy green apple and tart lemons with a delicious mousse and nice finish.  Mum likes raspberries in her glass so I obliged, trying a glass myself- not a fan.  I then opened some Chardonnay for the folks and cranked it up a notch for myself.  The last of my 2000 Opus One to go with the Beef.  This wine was given bad reviews on release and poor marks for it’s $200+ price point.  I have thought contrary to the pro’s and have really enjoyed this wine in it’s latter years where it bested Lynch Bages and other fine wines.  In case you missed it –  Opus One ’00.  This bottle was delicious but had an obnoxious odor that I could not figure out.  It detracted initially but I managed to separate the nasal channel and simply enjoy the cassis and plum infused nectar, wondering how many more years this Napa Cab can run.  It certainly shows no letting up and I now wish I had not drunk those first few so early.  Oh well, that’s what makes wine so interesting- watching the evolution and appreciating each nuanced step.